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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. suit — to fit
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. press — to push
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. content — the amount
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — completely
  14. scale — in music
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wind — moving air
  17. content — happy
  18. shower — to wash
  19. suit — in cards
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. suit — clothes
  23. press — newspapers
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com